2009 visual Facelift. Upgraded lights front and rear with DRL. 3G MMI now available a long side old 2g nav with 2xssd card slots, higher Rez MMi screen, built in hdd for nav data and music. Media slot plays dvd, cd and CD-ROM with mp3s.

3.0 v6 tdi. By far the most common. Pulls well. Common issue with intake flaps failing the same as on the A6 but easy fix around £400 per bank.

4.2 v8 tdi. Twin turbo V8. Very smooth and lots of power. DPF and oil leak at the back of the engine can be issues > 100k Miles. The engine is more capable than the brakes. Quite easy to cook them on some twisty B road !

4.2 v8 fsi. Lacks the midrange overtaking punch of the 4.2 tdi but has no turbo lag and is pretty nippy round town, for a 2.5 ton motor. Very quiet and refined too.

3.6 v6 fsi. I canít comment as never driven. A rare engine in the Audi stable too so nothing to compare to.

6.0 v12 tdi. Built with the Le Mans winning V12 it was the only Audi to ever get the V12 in production and the only Audi at the time, and for years after, that had ceramic brakes as standard. And it needs them. 10k to replace them though, and the v12 is a rare engine so gorgeous car but RS levels of expense to maintain.

3.0 v6 tfsi. Using the same supercharged engine from the S4 itís ripe for some remapping. Uses more oil than most Audiís, but makes an addictive supercharger whine when driven hard.

Common faults:

Air suspension. Normally the system is airtight. You can leave it for a month and it should still be pumped up. But often, a small leak in one strut causes one side to drop, and with the engine off the suspension Ecu tries to lower the other corners to make it level. It eventually ends up low. Then the pump has to work double time to blow it back up and over time the extra stress can make the pump fail. Also, the early relays that drive the pump can fail and stick on, causing the same issue. New pumps come with new relays that have a time cutout.

Pan roof. (Where fitted) Generally works well but can be prone to creaking. Can be fixed with some lubrication of the rubbers

MMi control panel. Right next to the cup holders itís a magnet for spilt drinks. 9 out of 10 MMi faults end up being a faulty control panel through Some liquid damage

Air con. All air con leaks gas over time but the Q7 is known to develop some leaks, so worth buying one with it working properly

Gearbox. The 6 speed is generally bulletproof but will feel smoother with a proper (oil out, pan off, filter change, pan clean) service. The 8 speed Audi boxes in general do seem a bit less reliable

Keyless entry (where fitted): the door handles fail like clockwork. Working correctly you should be able to just lightly touch the door handle and the car will unlock. When it fails, you have to pull the handle once to unlock, and then a second time to open the door. Door handles are body coloured and will cost around £250 each to replace.

Aftermarket mods: recent mot changes are focussing hard on emissions. Engine warning lights, DPFs etc. A number of early cars have been modified and/or remapped and itís not clear how these will do with the recent changes.